Father's Day 2008

It's been a whole ten days since I've written. A big, full ten days of wrapping up a school year, graduations, parties, performances, sunny days in the garden, chilly days in the snow (good lord...), and all of the other craziness that surrounds teachers in June. But here we are. The first Saturday of summer. Last night as we were falling asleep in the exhausted, hazy stupor that always seems to accompany the last Friday night of the school year Jeffy said, "Hey honey. We don't have to set our alarm for two and a half months." I smile, kissed him, rolled over and finally felt it in my heart, in my bones. We made it. Another summer.

Jeff and I met as new teachers in a wild, frantic, poor public school in Los Angeles. Our first "summer of love" began around this time of year, 1999. Almost ten years ago. I remember squeezing his hand as we flew over the gulf of Mexico. We were journeying south as part of an Earthwatch Educators Grant to study biodiversity in Jalisco. Journeying south as colleagues, friends, amigos, who just happened to be in the same field at the same school at the same time. Oh how far we've come.

The most luxurious splendor, the greatest payoff, in our lives has always relied heavily on the free time we've had in the summer. We've traveled extensively, moved to Montana, had a child, all in that glorious open space between June and September. As I think about this Father's Day, I think about how blessed I am to have a husband who is so very involved in his daughter's life. I think a big part of that comes from her birth in July and the six weeks we had just the three of us, all day everyday. Even when he went back to work, he was always home by five, ready to take her for a lap around the park or up the mountain in the ergo. They are so sweet together.

Today I hiked up to the top of Mt. Jumbo while they had a daddy/daughter lovefest. They'll be apart for a whole week. Tomorrow dad leaves for a backcountry ski trip in British Columbia and Eliana and I board a plane to San Francisco to see Melissa and meet baby Avi. This is, of course, after we drive the three hours to Spokane (what this mama will do for a cheap plane ticket...). I've been feeling a bit anxious about the drive/flight because Eliana is so damn mobile these days. She doesn't exactly like to stay still. But now that we are on the eve of our departure, I feel less concerned, more ambitious, more excited. I know that, whatever happens, we will get there. We will hang in that lovely city, Auntie Hilary will join us on Tuesday, and then the three of us will journey down to L.A. to see the rest of our peeps. We'll eat well, see lots of sunshine, laugh hard, and embrace the adventure. Daddy will have a blast with his boyfriends and get all the good male/testosterone laden juju in that he needs to keep him sane. And then in a week, we'll put up our red hammock, bust open the windows, fire up the grill, and settle into another summer together.